Opinion

November 30, 2019 @ 11:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

Kelly Loeffler, the CEO of Bakkt – a digital asset exchange and a subsidiary of ICE, has been selected by the Governor of Georgia to fill an open seat in the US Senate. Thank you @GovKemp for this important opportunity to serve our state and… Read More

November 28, 2019 @ 8:43 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) published a report on how it intends to dramatically reduce the regulatory burden in Canada’s most economically robust province. The report was completed after a 12 month review period and supported by the Ontario Ministry of Finance. Governments… Read More

November 27, 2019 @ 12:57 am By JD Alois  |  

US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Justin Muzinich delivered a speech this week where he addressed the emerging landscape of digital currencies. Muzinich commented on the “broader innovation trends that are shaping our banking and financial system.” Muzinich said: “While banks today provide a range… Read More

November 26, 2019 @ 3:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

On November 12, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, met in Washington, DC to discuss several important issues that impact small businesses in the US. As one would expect, the discussion included the ongoing challenge of providing access to… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 11:16 am By JD Alois  |  

Crypto centric digital news site The Block is making some news about itself. Last week, the Block reported on an alleged shutdown of a Binance office located in Shanghai. As most crypto followers know, cryptocurrency trading is illegal in China – even while the Chinese… Read More

November 25, 2019 @ 7:59 am By JD Alois  |  

As predicted last week, online broker Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW) has announced the purchase of TD Ameritrade (NASDAQ:AMTD) in a deal worth $26 billion. According to Schwab, the all-stock transaction represents a 17% premium of TD Ameritrade’s average share price as of November 20, 2019. Shares… Read More

November 22, 2019 @ 1:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Recently, Blockshow Asia took place in Singapore. While Crowdfund Insider was not able to attend this year’s event, organizers have forward some of the top takeaway items for this year and the following year. Below is a selection of commentary generated by speakers at the… Read More

November 22, 2019 @ 8:31 am By Omar Faridi  |  

We recently caught up with Glenn Austin, the chief financial officer at Dash Core Group (creator of DASH or Digital Cash), a major digital currency platform. Austin, a former VP at Morgan Stanley Investment Management who has worked at other big Wall Street names like… Read More

November 21, 2019 @ 7:33 am By JD Alois  |  

Two titans in the online brokerage space are preparing to merge, according to multiple reports. Schwab and TD Ameritrade are poised to combine operations in a deal that could be finalized as soon as today for an estimated $26 billion purchase. The move to consolidate… Read More

November 20, 2019 @ 8:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

A UK Jurisdiction Taskforce (UKJT) has published a document entitled “Legal Statement on cryptoassets and smart contracts.” The members of this Taskforce include a blend of both public and private entity participants. The UK has established itself as the leading jurisdiction when it comes to… Read More

November 19, 2019 @ 7:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Crowdfund Insider referred to several Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions that addressed the sale of unregistered securities by issuers of initial coin offerings (ICOs). Penalties assessed by the SEC are now coming due for several prominent enforcement actions brought by the… Read More

November 19, 2019 @ 6:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Heath Tarbert published an Op-Ed today which appeared in Fortune as well as the CFTC website. Tarbert called for a more principles-based approach regarding Fintech innovation – not more rules. Tarbert said that a principles-based approach can provide the… Read More

November 18, 2019 @ 1:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

Periodically, Crowdfund Insider revisits the Reg CF sector of online capital formation. Reg CF or “Regulation Crowdfunding” may have garnered most of the attention from popular media but really there are three individual crowdfunding exemptions including Reg A+ and Reg D 506c. Under Reg A+… Read More

November 17, 2019 @ 10:30 pm By JD Alois  |  

The annual Fintech100 report has recently been released quantifying the diverse universe of Fintechs that are leading in the various sectors of digital finance. The report has been published since 2014 in partnership with KPMG and H2 Ventures. Some names remain consistent year over year,… Read More

November 14, 2019 @ 12:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this week there was a meeting of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. During the meeting, the Committee discussed the SEC’s Concept Release on regulatory harmonization and several topics specifically. First, was the subject of access to capital… Read More

November 13, 2019 @ 11:05 am By JD Alois  |  

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has issued a statement of “strong support” regarding pending legislation targeting Industrial Loan Charters (ILC). An ILC is a regulated financial services charter that may be held by non-financial institutions. ILCs may hold FDIC insured deposits – a… Read More

November 13, 2019 @ 10:30 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Christian Catalini, co-creator of the Facebook-led Libra payment system and head economist at Calibra, a subsidiary of the social media giant that’s focused on developing a digital wallet for Libra, says he’d been doing research in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space for many years before… Read More

November 13, 2019 @ 9:32 am By JD Alois  |  

Global tech giant Google is pushing further into Fintech with the revelation of a forthcoming consumer checking service. First reported in WSJ.com, Google is expected to partner-up with Citigroup, along with a small credit union at Stanford University, to provide checking accounts. The project is… Read More

November 12, 2019 @ 9:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, a meeting of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) held a meeting. On the agenda was the topic of the SEC’s concept release on regulatory harmonization. The concept release was initiated in recognition of the current ecosystem of private… Read More

November 11, 2019 @ 9:52 am By JD Alois  |  

Leading investment crowdfunding platform Seedrs has announced a new feature – the ability to offer a direct investment in a company raising capital online. Seedrs has long been known for its “Nominee” structure, a type of special purpose vehicle (SPV) that benefits both issuers and… Read More